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dylan_harney 's review for:
The Faithless
by C.L. Clark
This is the second book in the series and it mostly stays the course set by the first book. Following on from the rebellion in the first book, it follows the attempt to rebuild Qazal and for Luca to ascend to the throne.
The two main characters don't really advance beyond the criticisms I had in the first book. Touraine is still rash, impatient and doesn't think but has somehow been elevated into the role of an ambassador, a role in which those traits are perhaps the most important. She does the same thoughtless acts which the author portrays as kindhearted which they but also don't fit the role the character has. It makes her hard to root for. Luca, on the other hand, still fails to be a good ruler despite being raised for it her whole life. She is thoroughly outclassed by her uncle, the Duke, and the other members of the council. It makes her eventual victory quite hollow. Speaking of hollow, why are they still together? They're now in love and married? I think? Its still a romance I don't understand that doesn't really seem motivated by more than lust and the authors desire for them to be together. On the other hand, I quite liked most of the supporting cast. Aranen is wise and clever, a good mentor who is haunted by her past and the things she has done. The Duke, whilst the antagonist, is smart and nuanced. He justifies why he does the evil things he does for his people and seems to believe in progressing the empire. He out thinks and out maneuvers Luca constantly and is only really undone by magic shenanigans. Prue was a good additional PoV. She largely exists to give a Qazal PoV but I think she plays the soldier who hates her position role much better than Touraine ever did. And her sapphic romance feels much more believable despite the limited page time.
The story largely revolves around political intrigue and maneuvering which I love. It was well done. The author's writing is lovely and the pages turn very easily. I think this sort of style more so than the first book suits her writing. In Qazal, I loved them grappling with the idea of what comes after the revolution? How does one form a stable government from nothing? Especially when the one thing uniting them was oppression which when removed only highlights how different they are and how different their motives are. I hope this gets more page time in the next book. The magic, despite being the name of the series, isn't really that big of a deal. Its there, its a mystery that isn't really that much of a mystery to the reader. I don't feel strongly about it either way. The book is still unabashedly queer which is great. It isn't dealing with queer acceptance, they are accepted and it is a story about their journey as queer people. I enjoyed the story more than the first book which it did a book job building upon.
Overall, I liked this more than the first book. I don't think it solves the issues with the main characters and romance being unlikable and unbelievable but it builds a cast of solid side characters. I enjoy the writing and the arc of the plot enough that I will continue the next book despite my objections.
The two main characters don't really advance beyond the criticisms I had in the first book. Touraine is still rash, impatient and doesn't think but has somehow been elevated into the role of an ambassador, a role in which those traits are perhaps the most important. She does the same thoughtless acts which the author portrays as kindhearted which they but also don't fit the role the character has. It makes her hard to root for. Luca, on the other hand, still fails to be a good ruler despite being raised for it her whole life. She is thoroughly outclassed by her uncle, the Duke, and the other members of the council. It makes her eventual victory quite hollow. Speaking of hollow, why are they still together? They're now in love and married? I think? Its still a romance I don't understand that doesn't really seem motivated by more than lust and the authors desire for them to be together. On the other hand, I quite liked most of the supporting cast. Aranen is wise and clever, a good mentor who is haunted by her past and the things she has done. The Duke, whilst the antagonist, is smart and nuanced. He justifies why he does the evil things he does for his people and seems to believe in progressing the empire. He out thinks and out maneuvers Luca constantly and is only really undone by magic shenanigans. Prue was a good additional PoV. She largely exists to give a Qazal PoV but I think she plays the soldier who hates her position role much better than Touraine ever did. And her sapphic romance feels much more believable despite the limited page time.
The story largely revolves around political intrigue and maneuvering which I love. It was well done. The author's writing is lovely and the pages turn very easily. I think this sort of style more so than the first book suits her writing. In Qazal, I loved them grappling with the idea of what comes after the revolution? How does one form a stable government from nothing? Especially when the one thing uniting them was oppression which when removed only highlights how different they are and how different their motives are. I hope this gets more page time in the next book. The magic, despite being the name of the series, isn't really that big of a deal. Its there, its a mystery that isn't really that much of a mystery to the reader. I don't feel strongly about it either way. The book is still unabashedly queer which is great. It isn't dealing with queer acceptance, they are accepted and it is a story about their journey as queer people. I enjoyed the story more than the first book which it did a book job building upon.
Overall, I liked this more than the first book. I don't think it solves the issues with the main characters and romance being unlikable and unbelievable but it builds a cast of solid side characters. I enjoy the writing and the arc of the plot enough that I will continue the next book despite my objections.